


The Silver Haired Hostess

by writingramblr



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Older Man/Younger Woman, Slow Burn, Unofficial Sequel, inspired by a dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-15 04:51:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1292062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingramblr/pseuds/writingramblr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a companion piece to my story, "House Party," this looks at the point of view of Dany and Victor Targaryen, the brother sister duo who host said party.</p><p>Though they're beautiful, and the penultimate hosts, their perfect faces hide a dark history.</p><p>Potential for rescue comes in the form of Jorah Mormont, an aging widower, who lucks out at an invitation by the mere chance of being a neighbor.</p><p>He's not there for the free beer, he's out to meet the hostess. </p><p>She's been haunting him in more ways than one, and he wants to defeat his ghosts.</p><p>He didn't plan on falling for her. Even though she fell first...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a dream i had, and i just decided to have it be a sequel to house party, since i wanted to write a modern piece with Jorah and Dany anyway.

**Please feel free to check out the original work if you like.** [_House Party_](http://archiveofourown.org/works/822789/chapters/1559775)

***

***

***

Dany couldn’t believe how long she was spending in her closet. It was just another party, just like last months.

Except for one minor thing.

She’d been told by her brother that he’d set her up with someone. He’d refused to drop any hints about who it was, but she knew only people in their building were invited. So hopefully that meant it wasn’t any of his stoner friends…

Then again, Victor did what he wanted. He could bring an army of thugs to her party and she wouldn’t be able to protest.

She paced in front of her shoe rack again, considering all seven pairs of black and gold shoes she owned. Chunky heel? Spike heel? Wedge heel?

What was safer?

She would have gladly just worn a pair of Keds and been done with it. But her height always presented a problem at the parties. If she couldn’t keep an eye on the crowd, she’d go insane with anxiety.

Her fingers drifted across the heels on the rack, until she paused on a pair with golden faux leather flowers on the tips, and black chunky heels.

She eagerly slipped them on and traipsed around her closet for a few steps. They would work. They were stable enough to ensure she wouldn’t be wobbling around.

Now she just needed to finish getting dressed. She could already hear her brother starting up the music, and probably would be yelling at her to come and mix the punch soon.

She slipped on her little black dress, and smoothed the skirt down over her thighs. It was much shorter and tighter than she was used to, but she didn’t care. She was the hostess, and had to look the part.

The shoes went perfectly with the dress, and when she slipped on two gold bangles on her left arm, her look was complete.

She hurried to the bathroom, and carefully brushed out her long platinum blond hair, capturing any stray loose hairs and tossing them into the trash. Falling hairs would show on black. She ran her fingers through it, shaping the waves, and then tossed most of it over her shoulders, leaving only a few strands around her face.

She swiped on a couple coats of mascara to her blond lashes, carefully applied some peach lipstick, and smiled at herself in the mirror.

“As good as it’s gonna get.” She whispered to herself.

***

The party was in full swing, and Dany could easily pretend she was enjoying herself. It was good to see all her building mates having a good time.

A successful party always made her feel accomplished. Her brother constantly reminded her she was good for little else. That constant voice of insecurity only grew stronger when he said things carelessly like that.

She tried to ignore it, but it grew louder every day. It wasn’t easy living with someone who persistently undermined her, whilst simultaneously insisting only he could protect her,

Except for his friend who was supposed to be coming.

She walked away from the chatting couples she’d been observing and made her way over to where Victor stood nursing a glass of punch.

She’d put a bit less vodka in it than she usually did, but she had no idea how many glasses he’d already had. So she kept her voice light, and carefree.

“Victor, are you happy with the music?”

He gave her a smile, one that for anyone else conveyed love for his sister, but for her only made her skin crawl.

“Very. I love what you’ve done with your hair. And when did you get those shoes? They make your legs look fantastic.”

Dany laughed airily,

“Oh you know. They’ve just been sitting in my closet; I thought it was fair they had a night out.”

Victor nodded,

“Good plan. Now I think Kyle is almost here. I asked him to pick up some stronger stuff for the guys; whatever you put in this isn’t working for me.”

He glared down at his half empty glass of shockingly red drink, and set it aside.

Dany smiled tightly,

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

He shrugged, and reached out to pull her in close, and she tried not to pull away. He hugged her to his side, and whispered in her ear,

“I imagine you were rather distracted, wondering about Kyle. I know you’ll like him sis. He’s a cool dude.”

Dany attempted to sound curious,

“I think I was. So what does he do? Do you work together?”

Victor lifted his arm from around her shoulders and waved at someone,

“Nope. I met him through a mutual friend. Here he comes now.”

Dany looked over to follow Victor’s gaze and saw a tall dark haired man rapidly approaching. He looked huge, a bit like a wrestler would. Suddenly she started to wish he’d been a stoner after all. A man like this could easily break her with an overly strong hug.

She flinched away from Victor unconsciously, but luckily he didn’t notice. The man, Kyle, as Victor had called him stepped up and pulled him in for a hug and a handshake, in that style that men do.

Victor snaked a hand over and gripped her arm, pulling her directly into Kyle’s line of sight.

Dany felt something just in front of her right foot only mere seconds before she started to fall.

Her first thought was “Curse these heels,” right before, “Oh god I’m falling!”


	2. Chapter 2

Jorah Mormont wasn’t a typical resident of the apartment complex. He knew the average age of the occupants was around twenty-something. But he couldn’t help it.

It was close to his work, and he was a sucker for a nice city view. Though only the fancier apartments had their own patios, he still had a magnificent window that looked over the entire suburb. He might have sprung for one of the more expensive models, but he preferred to stick within his means.

Being a foot doctor wasn’t quite as frugal as the more flashy careers of heart surgeon or even plastic surgeon.

When he found the shockingly bright pink flier stuck in the doorjamb on his way out to get his mail downstairs, he decided to actually read it before balling it up and tossing it in the garbage.

Another house party at the Targaryens.

The brother sister duo with a name only someone who had been extremely drugged out of their minds could have thought of. Jorah smiled faintly as he scanned the pink invitation. He remembered them. He had seen them around the mailroom before, at least the girl.

Hers was not a face any man could easily forget.

His only reservation from trying to engage her in conversation was the fact she held a haunting resemblance to his now three years passed wife Lynn.

He knew it was a foolish excuse, but the fact remained he was not a man to seek out adventure, even of a simple sort.

However, this invitation did lend a certain air of intrigue. Just another loud boisterous party with spiked punch and young people by the dozen.

But she would be there. He would have a perfect excuse to talk to her.

The only question remained, what did one wear to a party of twenty-something’s?

***

Dany’s feeling of panic slightly subsided when she felt strong arms underneath her shoulders and a hand cradling her head.

She looked up to find Kyle leaning over where she was lying on the ground. She smiled weakly at him, and opened her mouth to thank him, when she felt a sharp pain shoot through her ankle.

“Ow.” And so that came out of her mouth instead of “Thank you.”

She tried to look apologetic when she saw the confusion in his dark eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Dany shook her head,

“I think I twisted my ankle.”

She looked around to see what she had tripped on, but saw no obstacles on the floor, thankfully the littering hadn’t progressed _that_ far, and she realized she must have simply been too distracted by Kyle.

How right Victor had been. She was quite grateful that the intimidating man had been able to act fast enough. It wouldn’t have been ideal to have the hostess carted off to the hospital from her own party. From something she couldn’t blame on the punch.

“Where did you put the stuff?”

Victor’s voice shot through her foggy thoughts, and she heard Kyle reply,

“In the kitchen of course.”

Dany looked back up at him, and did she imagine it or did he actually look worried?

“Do you want to try and stand up?”

Dany shifted her feet, and then winced at the pain in her foot.

“Um, no?”

Footsteps vibrated through her, as she still lay mostly flat on the floor, and both she and Kyle looked over to see a guest kneeling at her feet,

“Please let me examine your ankle, I’m a doctor.”

Dany would have laughed at the cliché, but she simply thanked her lucky stars that one of the neighbors was just that.

“Okay.”

The man had sandy brown hair, and though his countenance looked tired, his green eyes were alert. They flashed up to hers momentarily, and she almost melted at the expression of concern. He was dressed quite nicely, for a simple party like this. He wore a dark grey suit jacket over a sage green dress shirt, and simple black slacks. She would have thanked him for raising the dress code standards but just then his hands gently slipped off her shoe and his fingers began to probe her pale skin.

Dany wasn’t an inexperienced sort of girl, but she nearly swore at the way his hands felt on the most innocent of her body parts.

She might have even moaned quietly, but it was brushed off as a reaction to the pain from both men.

At least, she hoped it was.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will be nods to the tv show. and their counterparts relationship...

Jorah had walked in precisely at the same moment as the parties’ hostess had fallen to the floor, and he tried to walk casually over to where she was, thanking silently whatever deities were listening that someone else had been there to catch her. He couldn’t move quite as fast as he used to.

The annoyances of having an old injury, and an aging body.

He swept past a red haired woman and a tall brooding looking fellow who’d appeared to have just decked an insolent partier, and practically fell to the girl’s feet. It was starting to seem to be the norm at these parties for a fight to happen, if you could call a single knockout punch a fight, or a girl to swoon, but he didn’t have to like it.

She looked astonishingly beautiful, even in her current state. He tried not to look at her bare legs, or notice how short her dress was, considering her position on the floor.

He heard the man cradling her head ask how she was, and she looked pained, her eyes flickering to her feet.

Jorah would have chided her for her chosen footwear, but he knew that would be a foolish and petty insult, that she didn’t deserve.

He was seconds from suggesting the dark haired man not try and force her to stand, when she finally spotted him.

He spoke to her, and could have bitten his tongue at how ridiculous he sounded, but she agreed, and he went to work.

He examined her foot and ankle carefully, feeling for any possible swelling or bruising, but nothing could be seen or detected.

He flexed her foot, and carefully turned it, moving it in a usual walking motion, and the instant he heard her make a sound, he stopped.

“Forgive me. How badly does it hurt?”

He hoped he didn’t look too worried, he certainly didn’t want to harm her, but she simply shrugged, sitting up and pushing away from the dark haired man.

“I think if I just walked without my shoes I’d be okay.”

Someone called out to the man, and he apologized to the girl, and began to leave. Jorah tried not to look too relieved.

The silver haired girl gave him a small smile, and held out her hand,

“Want to help me up doc?”

Jorah nodded, and then realized how rude he was being, after taking her hand, he slide over closer to her as she put her whole arm over his shoulder, and then he gently lifted her to her foot, while she placed most of her weight on the left one.

“Thank you. So much for a great party huh?”

She gave him a brighter smile, and he almost felt his own knees weaken.

“I suppose I should be thanking you for inviting me.”

She laughed, a soft musical sound that threw Jorah’s mind for a loop,

“It was meant to be. If you hadn’t been here, I’d have been carted off to the E.R. probably.”

“Hopefully not. I couldn’t find any injuries. I think perhaps it’s just strained. I’m sorry; I’m Jorah by the way. I live a couple floors down.”

She grinned at him, and stuck out her free hand, which he gladly took.

“Daenerys Targaryen. But everyone calls me Dany. Blame my parents, the crazy historians.”

Jorah nodded, and filed that name away into his subconscious. It sounded glorious the way she said it, like in a language from another world.

“Where should I take you?”

Dany looked thoughtful,

“Well, since the party is winding down, I guess I could just go lay down. My room’s down that hallway.”

She pointed towards a nearby corridor, and he began to lead them in that direction. He tried not to think about the fact he was taking her to her bedroom. That line of thought needed to be squashed like a bug.

***

Dany climbed onto her bed gingerly, taking care not to bump her foot on anything, and let out a deep breath she didn’t know she’d been holding when it finally rested atop her comforter.

She thought about her shoes that she’d left out in the living room and faintly hoped no one else would be tripping tonight, lest she be to blame.

“Thank you, ah Jorah?”

Her brown haired rescuer smiled at her, nodding,

“You’re quite welcome. Is there anything else I can get you?”

Dany felt her cheeks heat up and she hoped he wouldn’t take too long of a look in her bedroom. She hadn’t been prepared for visitors, and clothing was haphazardly tossed around, including bras and panties.

Her closet door was still wide open as well, showing off the racks of what she now considered potentially deadly devices in her mind.

“Ah, no. I’m alright. But if my ankle still hurts tomorrow, what should I do?”

Jorah swallowed, and reached into his pocket to extract his wallet, flipping through it to the back, where he stored his business cards. It seemed the gods were smiling on him, and he was about to kill two birds with one stone.

“Here, take this. If it gives you any trouble, go ahead and call me, and I can recommend some treatments. Nothing too fancy. Just the application of heat, or ice, or both, depending on how bad the pain is.”

Dany felt her eyes cross as she focused on the card in his hand, and she took it quickly.

“Alright. I will. Thanks again.”

Jorah nodded,

“Not a problem. Have a good night, Daenerys.”

Dany laughed a little,

“Please, just Dany. I’m not a Sicilian Princess.”

Jorah nodded again,

“Of course. Goodbye Dany.”  


He left her room and the door closed with a soft click.

Dany fell back against the sheets with a huff. She replayed the way he’d said her full name in her mind and shivered. She really liked the sound of it.

She may not have been a princess, but he made her feel like one. He’d practically carried her over the threshold for god’s sake.

She turned over, after she slipped his business card under her pillow, she shifted so she was half under the covers. Before her eyes had fallen shut, she knew she would be calling him tomorrow no matter if her ankle hurt or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> references everywhere...

Jorah was practically in his own world, so much so he didn’t even notice the red haired girl and the tall brooding fellow down the hall from the elevator, just perched on the first staircase, chatting about nothing.

He was too busy imagining Dany as a princess. If only. He would like to be her knight in shining armor. Then again, perhaps not shining, more like tarnished.

That was the sort of fantasizing that led to unwanted memories of Lynn.

He shook his head, as if it could help clear his mind’s eye.

It didn’t really.

The moment he’d returned home, he opened a cold beer, and had drunk half of it before he’d even noticed.

He’d not sampled the punch at the party, half afraid it might be too strong for him. He’d tried to drown himself in alcohol after Lynn had died, and it had nearly cost him his license, his practice, and his friends. He’d lost most of his friends anyway, even before sobering up.

Nowadays, the strongest thing he let himself drink was the sort of thing that got sorority girls in trouble. Wine coolers and light beer. Perhaps it was good that he didn’t have many friends to laugh at him for being so paranoid.

He hoped that when, or even if Dany called, she wouldn’t suggest them having a drink together, unless it was coffee. But that was still assuming quite a lot on her part.

Would she call? If she did, what if it was for purely medical reasons?

He was pretty sure he hadn’t imagined the way she’d looked at him once he’d set her down. He knew what attraction looked like. If he knew anything, it was that. He’d been rejected enough by Lynn when she wasn’t feeling like it to know when she _did_ want him.

Dany’s eyes were so lightly colored, a beautiful shade of blue, it was a simple matter to notice when her pupils dilated. She hadn’t been scared of him, he was at least certain of that.

That left only one option.

She _wanted_ him.

That frightened him, just a tad. To have the possibility of desiring someone and having the feeling reciprocated, after so long, was too good to be true.

Jorah was half scared he’d wake up tomorrow and find he dreamed the whole thing, thanks to a few too many wine coolers.

The universe couldn’t be that cruel.

Could it?

***

Dany shifted in her bed, as her eyes moved rapidly beneath her still closed lids. She was dreaming of another world. One where she lived up to her name, where she conquered whole cities with her kind heart and strong hands. Where she didn’t listen to Victor and his harsh words had no power over her.

Where she had a pleasant faced knight, with light brown hair and clear green eyes, who looked at her as if he couldn’t quite believe she was real.

He might have loved her, but for some reason she merely accepted it, and never bothered to question it. She watched Victor die at the hands of a savage warrior who looked faintly like Kyle, but she made no move to stop him.

Dany awoke with visions of fire breathing creatures still dancing in her mind.

Perhaps the fire was merely from the fact she’d become twisted in her sheets, and overheated from the fact she still wore her stockings and party dress.

She cringed; going to bed fully dressed hadn’t been such a great idea. She felt sweaty and sticky, and even throwing the covers away didn’t shake the feeling. She needed a shower, and she needed it now.

She’d jumped out of bed and taken a step towards her bathroom when she remembered her ankle, and collapsed to the floor.

It was a phantom echo of the pain from the previous night, but still hurt to walk on it.

“Victor!” she yelled out in desperation, and she prayed he hadn’t left for work already.

After a few silent moments, she could almost hear her heartbeat thundering through her chest.

“Damn it.” She cursed, before attempting to get back to her feet. The princess of her dreams, who was obviously her, wouldn’t let a dumb thing like a sore ankle ruin her day.

Eventually she was able to hobble into the bathroom, and with a shaky hand she flicked on the heater. A hot shower would hopefully ease the pain, and help her feel refreshed again.


	5. Chapter 5

Jorah was only half sleeping, still lounging in his bed, debating the use of getting up at all on a Sunday, when his cellphone began trilling.

It was a ringtone indicating an unknown caller, and he suddenly scrambled to answer it.

Barely after registering it was a local area code, he flicked the green tab,

“Hello?”

A sharp intake of breath on the other line had him contemplating hanging up, but then a voice replied,

“Hello. Ah Jorah?”

He almost dropped the phone in surprise. It was Dany!

“Yes, this is he.”

He could have smacked himself for a stupid reply like that.

But was it his imagination or did Dany giggle?

“This is Dany. I wanted to give you the report on my ankle. I _think_ it’s alright. But it was kinda sore this morning. After I showered I wrapped it up with an icy pack, and it started to feel better. I guess I won’t be running any marathons for a while.”

She giggled again, and that barely distracted Jorah from the whole “After I showered” bit.

That only led to thoughts of a naked, wet, and most certainly and absolutely devastating mental image of her.

Quite uncalled for.

“That’s excellent. I would also recommend you stick to flat shoes for a couple weeks as well.”

“Oh right, of course. That’s not a problem. I only wear heels when I have to.”

Jorah somehow doubted that, but he wasn’t about to question her. She was agreeing to follow his advice, and that made him feel incredible. He was about to tease her about a follow up call in a week when she started to speak again,

“Have you got any big plans this afternoon?”

Jorah shrugged, before remembering this was not a Skype call.

“None that come to mind.”

‘That certainly sounded fascinating,’ Jorah thought irritably to himself.

“Great! Um…would you like to come over for a cup of tea and possible blackmail?”

Jorah’s eyebrows shot up.

“Ahem, what sorry?”

Dany giggled again, and he decided he would endeavor to make her do it as often as possible,

“Well, considering my slight impairment, I could use a bit of assistance cleaning up the house. If you didn’t mind. I could even cook something, if that helps.”

Jorah laughed and he knew he’d have done that without any sort of compensation necessary. He would gladly take any chance to spend time with her; he was starving for simply her company.

“Of course. Don’t worry about cooking. I’ll bring a pizza. Does that sound alright?”

Dany replied with an enthusiastic “Yes!” and Jorah said goodbye, now quite eager to get up and get moving.

***

Dany spared a glance around her living room and tried not to scream in frustration. It seemed Victor had run off to work the instant he could, and decided that any cleaning was beneath him. She suddenly felt more like her dream self, and cursed him. She reluctantly pulled out a garbage bag and began to limp around the room, plucking trash off each surface she came to with the barest of grasps.

She wrinkled her nose at the empty cups, and even the half empty ones. She didn’t want to think about all the germs in the room.

She was beginning to wonder if she should ever do this sort of thing again when the doorbell rang.

Her arms were aching from propping herself against the wall, the couch, or even the counter as she made her way around the room, so she shouted,

“It’s open!”

She’d at least had the sense to unlock the door on the last trip by so that she needn’t rush over and attempt to greet Jorah.

The shocked look he gave her when he walked in said it all.

“No more parties here, I promise.”

She joked weakly, and he practically sprinted over to where she leaned against the wall, full garbage bag in hand. She barely protested that he might get wrinkles in his khaki’s and his white shirt from moving so fast.

He set the pizza down on the only cleared surface, the elegant glass coffee table that she was thanking the god’s had survived the night, and then he was at her side, plucking the bag from her hands, and helping her to a semi clear chair.

“Thanks, but really, I’m fine.”

“Nonsense.” She’d almost forgotten how delicious his voice sounded, and she pretended she could hear some faint concern in his tone.

“You shouldn’t have started this without me.”

Dany rolled her eyes,

“I’m stronger than I look.”

“That may be. But now I’m here. Doctor’s orders. You sit there, and let me finish this.”

He was being ridiculously chivalrous and the faint images from her dream caused her to start to try and picture him wearing chain mail and fancy armor. He might look good, maybe even better than good, dashing even.

“Why are you being so nice to me? Everyone else just comes for the booze and gossip.” She was half joking, but when Jorah turned to gaze at her, and his former concentrated expression melted into a smile, her breath caught in her throat.

“I’m simply doing what any decent person would. You’re injured, and I’m being neighborly. Isn’t that how it works?”

Dany shook her head,

“I don’t think so. This is the 21st century; neighborly-ness is a thing of the past.”

Jorah shrugged,

“I guess I just come from a different mindset Dany.”

Dany gulped. She knew what he was implying. He was right of course. Back in his day, which was really probably less than a decade previous, men still opened doors, were courteous, and probably didn’t hit their sisters.

She winced, and looked away from him, as if he might read her thoughts.

“So what kind of pizza did you bring me?”

She forced a smile, and he gladly set down the bag he’d been filling, washed his hands quickly, and brought the still steaming box over to her.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I brought one with everything.”

Dany felt a strange stinging in her eyes, and she feared she might have gotten some dust in them,

“Thank you. I’ll pick off what I don’t like. That’s what I usually do. Victor’s rather-“

She broke off, not wanting to air her dirty laundry with a complete stranger. Because, in the end, that’s what he was.

A stranger, but also a kind neighbor.

Jorah seemed to understand, and he didn’t press her for anything more.

“Can I get you anything to drink?”

Dany offered weakly, even though she was still timid about trying to get up. She decided that come Monday, she would toss all her heeled shoes out on the street.

“I’ll see what’s available, if that’s alright?”

Jorah moved towards the kitchen, and Dany nodded,

“Yeah go ahead. I bet there’s some stuff from last night left.”

Jorah chuckled,

“No, I’m not interested in that. It’s much too early for the hard stuff.”

He returned with two icy cokes, and Dany remembered faintly that she’d bought those the previous day, so she wouldn’t have to drink any of that godforsaken punch. She always preferred to be a sober hostess.

“Thank you.”

Jorah simply nodded, before observing how she’d neatly piled and separated all the toppings she didn’t want off her slices in the lid of the box, her makeshift plate.

“You seem to be a little on the picky side Dany.”

He teased her, and she grinned at him,

“What can I say? I like what I like. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll eat _some_ of the veggies.”

Jorah shrugged, before picking up a slice and chewing on it thoughtfully.

When he’d finished it, he looked over the living room,

“It seems the cleaning is pretty much done. What else can I help with?”

Dany shook her head,

“You’ve done a great deal already. I’ll spray around some air freshener after you leave and it’ll be good as new.”

Jorah nodded,

“I’ll take care of the bags. It’s a long walk to the trash bins, and I’d hate for you to twist your other ankle.” He glanced meaningfully at her black ballet flat clad feet, and she gave him a gentle shove,

“That’s oh so gallant of you _sir._ ”

He shrugged again,

“What can I say? I do what I must. Lucky today’s Sunday or you’d have to _blackmail_ me into fetching your mail for you. No pun intended. Or, uh would your brother do that?”

A cloud seemed to fall over Dany’s face,

“Oh yeah. Lucky. He sometimes does. If he’s expecting an important letter.”

Jorah got the idea that speaking about her brother made her uncomfortable, and though his protective senses were usually overshadowed by paranoia, something about her made him wish he could do something about it. He didn’t want her to ever feel in danger.

He hesitated only a moment before placing his hand over hers, where it rested on the couch, and he felt her tense up,

“Dany, if there’s _anything_ I can do, please let me know. You can call me for anything, anytime.”

He saw the way her mouth trembled, and when she nodded slowly, he squeezed her hand, and she squeezed it back.

“Thank you.”  
She whispered so softly, if he hadn’t been right next to her, he might not have heard it.

She certainly was thanking him an awful lot. It made him wonder what sort of treatment she was used to.

It frightened him more than the way she made him feel.


	6. Chapter 6

Dany wasn’t about to try and beg for Jorah to help her run away, but when he’d said that, told her he wanted to help her, with more than simple cleaning or the silly things she found difficult with a sore ankle, she felt like crying. He was too much. Too kind to her, too old for her, at least that was what she tried to tell herself, and too wonderful.

She didn’t deserve this. She was almost torn between yelling for him to leave and wishing he’d come closer and pull her into his arms. What would her dream self do?

Eventually he let go of her, and slipped the now empty pizza box into the third trash bag nearby. She tried to give him a smile, and mumbled another thank you as he waved goodbye before gathering up all the trash and leaving her apartment.

She only let the tears fall when she knew he was gone for certain. Victor would be home soon, and she would need to be strong for him.

He hated when she acted weak.

It only took her a few minutes, just shuffling around the room spraying a bit of febreeze. The air smelled like pine needles rather than pizza and stale beer trash, and Dany collapsed back on the couch.

She heard Victor before she saw him, and when he threw open the apartment door, she only jumped a little.

“Why sister, you’ve cleaned the place so well. How on earth did you manage it with your lame leg?”

The mirth in his eyes, and the sly smile he gave her made her want to shudder in disgust, but she didn’t. If she didn’t know better, he almost looked cheery at the thought of her injury. A horrible thought struck her, what if she’d been tripped by him? That would explain the lack of anything on the floor to have caused her to stumble. She kept her face neutral, but she knew she needed to be very cautious with him, she couldn’t risk angering him.

“Oh well, I just worked as long as I could, before my leg gave out. I hope it’s alright.”

Victor chuckled, and to Dany it sounded like rocks scraping across metal, nothing like the soothing burr of Jorah’s laugh.

“It’s wonderful. I could kiss you. I was half afraid I’d come home and find you still asleep after your long night.”

Dany smiled weakly, if she had her way he would _never_ catch her sleeping unawares again.

“Well I could hardly waste the whole day like that. How was work?”

Before she knew it, Victor was ranting about his long day, and he was suitably distracted from her.

She was so grateful that Jorah had thought to take their lunch trash out, for she did not want to have to try and explain that to Victor.

***

It only took a couple of days, with an hour of icing her ankle every night before bed, for it to be healed and completely back to normal.

Dany was quite relieved, and appreciative for Jorah’s help, so she decided she should get him something. She didn’t know what to get a man, what would be useful, and at the same time still seen as a gift?

She told Victor she was going to the store for some grocery shopping, which was true, they certainly needed milk, and he simply waved her off.

She only rolled her eyes when she’d arrived at the store, as if he could have been watching her until then. Once she’d filled the cart with the things she knew about them needing, she started over to the clothing side of the store.

“What to get for Jorah?” she mumbled to herself as she paced the racks of shirts and slacks.

Maybe a nice tie? No. That was too boring.

Clothing might actually be _too_ personal.

Did he need a watch?

She got rather distracted in the jewelry section, and tried to pretend she could get anything she liked. The truth was Victor, since he was their supporter, until she got a job someday, didn’t approve of unnecessary spending, and jewelry fell into that category.

He said she was beautiful enough without it.

As if that made her feel better.

Eventually her walking brought her to the books and magazines aisle, and she smiled at nothing in particular.

A book. That would be perfect. Not too personal, but still a useful gift.

If he didn’t like it, he could always use it as a doorstop. She smiled slightly at the thought of that.

She began to trace her hands over the titles, and she had a sense of déjà vu.

She paused on a large silver and blue colored book. It was quite heavy, so it filled the doorstop and reading material requirements. She turned it over and read the back blurb. Her smile grew wider, and she put it in the shopping cart.

It was a story about a princess and her knight, out to conquer the world.

She hoped he would like it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: contains some violence and references to past and present abuse

When she returned to the apartment, she’d planned to call Jorah and ask about when they could meet next, but her plans were somewhat delayed when Victor asked her to cook dinner.

She made a simple meal of chicken parmesan, and graciously accepted his small amount of praise.

Afterwards, he’d retreated to the living room, and she was left in the kitchen to clean up. Once she had finished the dishes as quickly as possible, she was just leaning up to put the last glass away in the cupboard, when she felt a twinge of pain in her ankle. She had done quite a bit of walking in the store, but she’d been so excited about finding Jorah’s present she hadn’t noticed the growing ache.

She moved to grip the counter to prevent from stumbling and in her haste she dropped the glass.

On the tile floor it quite literally exploded, and she gasped in surprise.

“Damn it.”

Victor strode into the kitchen barely an instant later, looking extremely angry.

“What’s going on?”

Dany shrugged, attempting to appear calm,

“I just dropped a cup. It’s okay. Stay back though, there’s broken glass everywhere.”

Victor strode towards her while a hand flew up to take hold of her arm, throwing off her balance. She heard his shoes crunching on the glass, and she looked at him in annoyance, before she realized the fire in his eyes.

“It’s just a cup? Do you know how expensive our dishes are? How important they are? They’re all we have left of _them._ ” He hissed angrily at her, and the grip on her arm became painful.

“I’m sorry. I know. It was an accident.”

Victor sneered at her,

“Do you think I can just go out and replace that? You think I’m just made of money? Let me tell you something, you spoiled brat. Just because I let you throw all these parties doesn’t mean you can treat our things like garbage.”

Dany frowned, and she knew she shouldn’t argue, but she did anyway.

“’You let me?’ You don’t let me do anything! I just do what I can to avoid your thugs and the brutes you call friends. _I_ don’t even have any real friends.”

Victor’s smile became dangerous, and he shook her hard, pulling her right up to his face,

“Oh really? No friends? What about that old man who you’ve been chatting with on the phone?” he snarled, seeing how truly scared she looked, and gave a derisive laugh, “You thought I didn’t know about him? Let me tell you, I could have him evicted with a snap of my fingers. If you ever talk to him again, you’ll have more to worry about then planning your next party.” He leaned closer, whispering into her ear, and she shivered as she felt his lips brush across her skin, “You’ll have a lot more than a twisted ankle to heal from next time as well.”

Dany wasn’t sure how much of his threat was real, she didn’t believe the evicting part, but she now knew she had been right, he had been the one who had tripped her in the first place.

He shook her arm again before he finally let go of her.

“Clean this mess up, and then go to your room. I’m sick of looking at you.”

 

She was left shivering at the sink, her hands shaky as she retrieved the broom and dustpan, and began to do as he said.

What was she going to do about Jorah?

***

It had been nearly a week, without a single word from Dany, and Jorah was starting to get a little worried. For the couple of days after their pizza lunch, which he secretly considered a date, they’d been exchanging texts.

From little things like “Hope you’re staying off the stairs,” to “Yes I do think tacos are a source of nutritional value.”

Nothing serious at all, nothing like the things he wanted to tell her.

“You’re so beautiful. You light up my dreary days.” Those were much too cheesy, and not mention, ridiculous.

When it had actually been seven whole days, Jorah decided he would wait down in the mailroom and try and catch her.

The mail tended to come pretty late the closer it got to the weekend, and now that it was thirty minutes past five, with no sign of either sibling, he was definitely concerned.

He went to the front desk and asked if he could retrieve their mail and take it to them.

Luckily, he got the nice concierge, who always smiled at everyone, and happily directed people to the place they needed to go. In this case, he knew exactly where he was going.

With the large bundle of envelopes clutched in hand, Jorah began the journey to Dany’s apartment.

Outside the front door, he stood for a couple agonizingly long seconds deliberating if he should really be doing this, and if he should knock, until he heard a muffled scream.

No more thinking was required.

He tried the door; found it locked, naturally, so then set about kicking it in. The doorframe wasn’t strong enough to hold out past two kicks, and when he finally burst into the apartment, he saw nothing out of place, but then there came another scream, virtually splitting the air, and it sounded closer,

“Dany!” he yelled out, and was slightly relieved to hear a strained reply.

He ran for where the noise had come from and found Victor standing above Dany, who was lying on her bed, clutching her cheek. He could see she also had a bloody lip, and then all he could see was red.

“You. Get. Away. From. Her.” he growled at Victor, who actually looked visibly stunned.

“I’m not afraid of you.” Once he’d regained his composure, the blond boy, for that’s what he truly was, sneered at Jorah.

Never before had his patience been so thin,

“If you don’t get the hell out of here I’m calling the police.”

“You can’t touch me. I’ve got friends; you couldn’t _begin t_ o comprehend-”

Jorah almost rolled his eyes,

“And yet here I stand.”

Victor looked bewildered,

“You know what you are? You’re an interfering son-of-a-“

Jorah stepped right up to him and swung his fist, without a thought.

It was a perfect hit, and Victor crumpled to the ground.

Dany sat up on the bed slowly, her eyes wide with fear,

“Is he-?”

Jorah shook his head,

“He’ll be fine. He’s just unconscious. I forgot how strong my right hook is.”

Dany gave a watery laugh, and Jorah finally looked at her again, and noticed she was crying. He put a hand out, asking her to stay still, and went to the kitchen in search of a rag.

He brought it back, wetted it with warm water, and gently dabbed at the cut on her lip.

“It’s okay. It hardly hurts.”

Jorah sighed, and tried to keep his anger from coming back.

“That’s the adrenalin. It’s masking the sting. Once it’s gone, this will be painful. Has this happened before?”

The question hurt to ask, but he could see the truth in Dany’s eyes even before she nodded.

“Is this why you haven’t called me? Or texted me? I’ve been so worried.”

Dany’s tears came back with a vengeance and her words disappeared into a sob. Jorah pulled her close, and held her until she stopped shaking.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next to last chapter, there will be a fluffy happy ending!

“What am I going to do?”

Dany stared at her room, at all the things in the world she owned, suddenly not caring about any of them, except the small sack containing the book for Jorah.

“I know it’s probably not great timing, but if you need somewhere to stay, I’ve got a guest room.”

Dany turned to look at Jorah, who was still somehow amazingly calm, despite having done what he did.

What she’d been wishing she’d had the strength to do a long time ago. Yet, she wondered if she had, and done it badly, would Victor only have gotten her back that much worse?

“Okay.” She had no place else to go. She’d be foolish to try and be stubborn.

“Really?” Jorah looked at her, astonished. His heart had been beating a tattoo on his ribs as he’d said the words, half expecting her to look disgusted.

Dany nodded slowly,

“Yeah. I don’t know any place I’d feel safer.”

Jorah swallowed, and met her intense gaze head on,

“I’m honored you feel that way.”

“What are we going to do about him?”

Dany changed the subject swiftly enough, but Jorah caught the blush that darkened her cheeks, and he would have shouted triumphantly to the heavens if it had been any other moment.

“Well, I still think you ought to go to the police. Tell him what happened. They can get a restraining order for you, so he won’t ever come near you again.”

Dany sighed deeply,

“It’s so awful though. He’s the only family I’ve got. I guess that’s why I kept hoping it would get better.”

Jorah reached over and took her hand, and when she didn’t pull away, he brought it up to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on her palm.

“Family doesn’t always have to be blood.”

 

It didn’t take much to get the restraining order. Dany had months of testimony, and several other well hidden bruises that made Jorah wish he’d punched Victor back at the party.

She’d packed up as little as possible, and quietly moved into his guest bedroom. When she’d presented the book to him, he’d not known what to do. So he’d picked her up in his arms and swung her around, just until her feet left the ground. When he set her back down, she’d leaned up and kissed his cheek.

He’d been so surprised that he’d not predicted what she would do next.

She closed her eyes, and kissed him on the lips, letting her soft sweet mouth tell him how she felt.

No words were needed.

***

They’d been living in the same apartment for about three months when Jorah finally took her out on a real date. He’d gotten a nice new suit jacket for the occasion, and she’d pulled out a never worn silk blue dress that was the exact shade of her eyes. She carefully chose her favorite black flats to wear. No need to repeat history.

When he saw her walk into his cramped living room, his jaw nearly dropped.

“I know it’s not much, but I thought…” She looked up and saw him staring at her like she was some sort of princess, and she blushed.

“You look beautiful Daenerys.”

He’d not used her full name since the night they’d met, and she could almost feel the way his voice caressed the word, how she’d been dreaming he might do to her skin someday.

“Thank you.” She took in his nicely pressed jacket, dress shirt, and black slacks. He looked extremely handsome, and in that moment, she didn’t give a fig for numbers.

He offered her his arm, and she blushed again,

“Milady.”

“So where are you taking me?”

“I was thinking pizza. Authentic, true Italian pizza. If that’s alright with you?”

He actually looked concerned she’d say no, and Dany felt touched.

“Of course. That’s a wonderful idea for our second date.”

Jorah felt as if he might float away with joy at those words.

***

Sitting across from her, watching her, every little movement of her hands, every quirk of her lips, even the way she chose to hold her pizza slice fascinated Jorah.

Eventually Dany sensed his eyes on her, and she paused mid-bite,

“What is it? Do I have tomato sauce on my face?”

She looked rather panicked, and he chuckled,

“No. I just love watching you.”

Dany beamed,

“Well I love listening to you talk. So I guess we both have what we want.”

She took her bite, and they both contemplated how close they’d come to saying what they really wanted to.

When they’d finished dinner, and were walking back to the apartment complex, Dany realized that it wasn’t simply that anymore. She thought of it as home.

Even if it was only someplace she was staying indefinitely as a guest, it felt like _home_. She felt safe there; she trusted that Jorah would never let anything hurt her.

He didn’t have to say it, though he often did. She just believed in him, and knew he believed in her.

Their hands found each other as they stepped into the elevator, and Dany laced their fingers together, shyly avoiding his gaze.

Since they were both going to the same place, it was silly to feel nervous about saying goodnight, but she still did.

Butterflies winged around inside her as Jorah paused in front of her bedroom door. His hand left hers and reached up to cup her cheek, and she gladly leaned into his touch.

“Goodnight Dany.”

He leaned forward and kissed her gently, feeling the quickening of her heartbeat under his hand.

Their second kiss and their second date. It was still entirely a night of firsts for Jorah.

First time he’d come close to telling her he loved her, first time they’d held hands in public, and the first time he’d kissed her goodnight.

Usually they parted chastely from reading comfortably in the living room, or from watching a movie. As Jorah thought about it, they usually spent their evenings together, never further than a chair space or two apart.

Was she feeling the same strong pull to him? Did she want things to progress like he did?

He didn’t want to push her, especially after what had happened not too long ago with Victor, but he felt as if he might combust if he had to wait much longer for her. But he would. He would be patient.

She deserved to be treasured.

Dany sighed against his lips, and threw her arms around his neck, urging him closer, and deepening the kiss.

Jorah’s eyes went wide with surprise before they fell blissfully shut as he reveled in the feel of her against him. She fit in his arms perfectly.

“Will you stay with me tonight? Please?”

She had pulled back only to turn and whisper those words into his ear, and he thought he was dreaming.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, brushing her nose against his chin, and giggling as his beard tickled her skin,

“Yes. I am. I want to wake up beside you.”

Jorah groaned in frustration,

“Just sleeping?”

Dany gave an imperceptible twist of her hips, and he felt weak at the knees,

“Maybe not.”

“Oh Dany, my princess…don’t start something you don’t want finished.”

“But I do. I love you Jorah. I want you to make love to me.”

His eyes snapped open and he gazed at her in wonderment. Her own blue eyes were half lidded, and she looked dangerously enticing.

“You do?”

Dany nodded,

“I know you love me too.”

Jorah hugged her close, and buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent,

“Of course I do. You stole my heart with that horrid pink flyer.”

Dany’s laughter vibrated through them both, and he pulled back, moving to lift her into his arms, and she gasped,

“Oh Jorah, this is how I’ve been dreaming you’d do it. Just like that first night.”

Jorah smiled at her,

“This time I won’t leave your side until you ask me to.”

Dany snuggled against his chest as he walked towards her bed,

“I won’t.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, the moment we've all been waiting for. well, at least me.  
> and i wrote this.  
> wow...

Jorah set her down on the bed, and he quickly slipped off her shoes. Dany was shifting impatiently on the sheets, and when his hands finally touched her bare legs, she let out a frustrated sigh.

He would have gladly taken his time, and gone as tortuously slow as possible, but as his hands slid up her thighs, pushing her dress up, he was shocked to discover she wasn’t wearing underwear.

“Dany…” he groaned, and she bit her lip, attempting to look coy even as her brain was turning to mush at his touch.

“Mmm. Yes Jorah?”

“Did you plan for this?”

“Might have.”

His fingers traced lightly around her inner thighs, skirting over where she wanted his touch. She was aching, and growing so hot she wouldn’t have objected if he’d torn off her dress.

But he merely pushed it all the way up, so that it rested just under her breasts, and then leaned over her, to capture her lips in a kiss, while his right hand finally made contact with her throbbing clit.

She moaned into his mouth, and he would have felt extremely proud of himself for eliciting such a sound, but he was beginning to sweat under his clothing.

“Stay…”

He whispered against her mouth, and pulled back to begin undoing his jacket and shirt.

Once he was fully naked, and she was still only naked from the waist down, he returned to her side, and he was delighted to discover how wet she was.

“Absence indeed,-“

Dany rolled her eyes,

“Just touch me. Forget the poetry for another night.”  
He bit back a smile, and did as he was commanded. For the first time in his life, he appreciated the many hours of hard work that had made his hands rough. They gave a perfect friction to stimulate the high strung nerves of the beautiful woman in front of him.

When he gently pressed a finger between her folds, still keeping his thumb on her clit, she shifted her hips, attempting to move closer, to gain more friction.

“Jorah please…stop teasing me.”

Her breathing was coming in pants, and she thought she might go mad from want; his fingers were simply stroking the fire, with no chance for completion in sight.

When he curled his finger inside her, and dared to slip a second one beside it, she felt herself grow hotter, and the slickness between her thighs grew.

Then, they were gone. He’d removed his hand, and her eyes snapped open, but he was merely trying to lift off her dress completely, and she eagerly complied.

Dany licked her lips as she saw him looking at her bared breasts. She knew they weren’t exceptionally large, but the way he stared, she felt perhaps he didn’t mind. He moved a tentative hand to cup one carefully, and she felt nothing, but when he flicked at her nipple, and leaned down to take it between his lips, laving it with his tongue, she fell back against the sheets, the agony of pleasure in one spot but not enough driving her mad.

She reached out blindly, and found his arousal, straining against his stomach, and only inches from her throbbing core, and she stroked it, finding the bead of moisture at the tip and sweeping it off with her finger.

She brought it to her mouth and gave him a look that would have made any sane man combust.

“Oh Dany, you have no idea what you do to me.”

“All’s fair in love and war. You’re driving me crazy, so I’m simply returning the favor.”

“Indeed.”

He moved back up to kiss her, and as her eyes closed, she could feel him slowly push into her. He was cautious, careful, and painfully gentle. She knew he didn’t want to hurt her, but even though it had been a few months, she wasn’t going to be in any pain.

Finally she had something to thank Victor for.

“Harder, please. Need you…deeper.”

She couldn’t form full sentences, but Jorah knew what she was asking, and he happily obeyed.

However, it quickly became apparent that he would not be able to keep his control very long. He considered himself lucky that he’d not embarrassed himself at the sight of her body, which he’d been picturing in his mind for way too long.

So many nights of cold showers, and even then, he couldn’t have possibly dreamt how much more beautiful she was in the flesh.

She looked like an angel, with her silver hair spread out around her on the pillows, and the way she looked at him, flushed cheeks and hooded eyes, why, it was enough to make him wonder if he’d died and gone to heaven, and she really _was_ an angel.

When her inner muscles clenched around him, and her voice broke as she chanted his name, he thanked the gods for her.

Sometimes, he couldn’t believe she was real.

Other times, he couldn’t believe she’d chosen him.

Perhaps they’d both been chosen for each other.

After she’d found the height of her pleasure in his embrace, he followed swiftly with his own climax.

He stroked her cheek, and scattered soft kisses on her lips and around, until he dropped a final kiss on her forehead.

Dany stretched out beneath him, and when he pulled out to lay beside her, she laughed.

“Something amuses you?” he teased, and she nodded, worrying her bottom lip,

“I didn’t remember quite how messy it could be.”

His eyes widened and his chivalrous nature took over. He set a hand to her chest, and the other placed a finger to her lips,

“Say no more.I’ll be right back.”

He retrieved a washcloth from her bathroom and quickly cleaned her, fighting back at the embarrassment that colored his face.

He’d been careless, and completely neglected her. He’d have gladly fallen asleep at her side, and forgotten all about this.

“Don’t look so sorry. It’s okay. I’d actually be more worried about the fact we didn’t use protection.”

Jorah’s heart nearly stopped, and then he saw her gentle smile,

“But you shouldn’t be. I can’t actually have children. Some genetic defect, my parent’s final gift to me.”

The bitterness in her voice made Jorah’s heart ache, and he moved to her side, pulling her close, ensuring she would know he didn’t care.

He loved her no matter what.

Dany remained silent for a few moments, and Jorah thought perhaps she’d fallen asleep. His hand around her waist traced patterns on her skin, soothing her. The other was over her head, caressing her forehead gently, hoping to smooth any wrinkles of anxiety.

“I wouldn’t mind getting a pet or something though.” She whispered softly, and he chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest that was flush against her back.

“Oh you wouldn’t?”

“Maybe a cat. Or two. Or three?”

“If that is what you want.”

Dany hummed in contentment, and for a moment, Jorah imagined her surrounded by three kittens, one on a shoulder, another in her lap, and the third causing mischief.

He could gladly see them having a family like that.

“What about you? What do you want?”

Jorah froze, and Dany could feel it.

“I only want you.”

“You have me.”

“Forever?”

“Is that how you are going to propose?”

Jorah swallowed,

“I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“It’s okay. I like it. It’s simple. Yes.”

Jorah’s hands around her tightened briefly, and he leaned in to whisper into her hair,

“I love you so much.”

“And I love you.”

 

Dany might not have been a princess, but she didn’t have to be royalty to have found her very own knight.

***

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah okay kittens instead of dragons...what can i say? i'm a sucker for cute fluffy things.


End file.
